COLUMBUS (December 7, 2006) - Governor Bob Taft today vetoed House Bill 347. The contents of the veto message are as follows:

"Pursuant to Article II, Section 16 of the Ohio Constitution, which states that the Governor may disapprove any bill, I hereby disapprove of this act and set forth below the reasons for so doing.
"Substitute House Bill 347 exceeds the scope of a concealed carry corrective bill by preempting local gun regulations relating to owning, possessing, purchasing, selling, and transferring firearms and their ammunition. In so doing, the act nullifies many local municipalities' gun regulations that are more stringent than state law, including the assault weapons bans enacted by the cities of Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Toledo. This vast prohibition of local control is unwarranted and fails to consider the differing challenges and circumstances faced by different communities and regions of the State.
"For these reasons, I am vetoing Substitute House Bill 347."

To see a copy of the Governor's official veto message, please visit www.taftnews.com

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Media Contact: Mark Rickel, Governor's Press Secretary, at (614) 644-0957.

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